When Workouts Mar Your Skin

June 4, 1985|By Shari Roan, Staff Writer

A good sweat may be the sign of a hard workout but it also can mean trouble for your skin, report dermatologists in the current issue of Working Women magazine.

As more people exercise dermatologists are seeing an increase of acne mechanica. Acne mechanica used to be limited to football players, who sweat heavily under thick padding. But tight workout clothing also can lead to the eruption of the small red bumps and inflamed whiteheads.

Acne mechanica is not caused by internal metabolism but by the friction of something rubbing against your skin, say physicians, which explains why adults may be as susceptible to the condition as acne-prone teens. During exercise, the oil and sweat glands become more active and the skin temperature increases, leaving the skin open to fungal and bacterial infections. Acne mechanica often appears on the oily areas of the body -- the upper back, shoulders and tops of thighs.

People who get acne mechanica should get immediate treatment because more exercise will aggravate the condition. Treatment is fairly simple and involves cleansing with an astringent. To avoid the condition, remove exercise clothing immediately after working out and shower. Avoid tight exercise clothing and opt for a loose, cotton T-shirt and shorts instead. Also, try putting a soft towel on top of a vinyl floor mat to absorb perspiration.

BIG BELLY MAY SIGNAL GREATER HEART RISK

It`s bad enough that people tease you about your spare tire. Now researchers are saying the tummy is one of the worst places to carry excess fat.

Researchers in Sweden and the United States have discovered that it`s not how much you weigh but where you`re fat that counts, reports American Health magazine. In a 13-year study of 792 men, Swedish scientist Ulf Smith found that men whose waists were disproportionately large for their hip measurements had two times the risk of heart disease, stroke and death than men with normal waist-hip ratios. In a similar study among women, those with the highest waist-to-hip ratio ran about four times the risk of heart disease. Even an otherwise slim person with excess flab on the waist runs an increased risk, says Smith.

Excess weight on the waist is more dangerous, says Smith, because fat cells in the abdomen release artery-clogging fatty acids faster than fat cells in the legs, arms and buttocks. Because of Smith`s findings, some Swedish doctors now take waist and hip measurements during routine examinations. Doctors say a balanced diet with exercise will help remove the fat from the waistline first.

EXERCISE CAN AID TYPE II DIABETES

A low-fat diet and plenty of exercise has become part of the standard treatment for people with type II or non-insulin-dependent diabetes, report researchers in this month`s issue of Vogue magazine. About 8 million Americans have type II diabetes, caused in part by weight gain later in life. Experts say exercise not only helps reduce weight by burning calories but counteracts high blood sugar. Exercise may even reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease -- the No. 1 cause of death in diabetics.

Research has even shown that a low-fat diet and plenty of exercise early in life can help to prevent the onset of type II diabetes in women with a family history of the disease. In type-II diabetics, sufficient amounts of insulin are produced but the body is unable to respond to the insulin`s clues and does not make full use of the energy available in food. Exercise is thought to help alleviate this problem by making the body more receptive to the insulin`s clues.

Type-II diabetes patients should receive their doctors` approval, however, before starting an exercise program.

EXERCISE DURING CARDIAC RECOVERY?

Exercise is often included in the recovery programs for heart-attack victims. But a recent study by researchers in five cities suggests the benefits of exercise in cardiac recovery may be limited.

Researchers divided a group of 651 men who had had heart attacks, placing half the men in an exercise program two to 14 months after the heart attack. The other group did not exercise.

``There was a lower mortality rate in the exercise group but not at a level we would consider significant,`` Dr. John Naughton reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Contemporary Medicine and Surgery. ``In both groups, patients gained weight and cigaret consumption rose slightly. Both needed the same amount of surgery and medication and were rehospitalized at about the same rate.``

The exercise group did report one important benefit, said Naughton: a greater sense of well-being.

FREE NUTRITION LECTURE

If you`re confused about how to get that high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet everyone is recommending, check out the free nutrition lecture at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Sports & Fitness Clinic, 4345 E. Tradewinds Ave., Lauderdale-By- The-Sea. The presentation will include information on what the energy- yielding nutrients are and what they do, how to calculate nutrients in your diet and how to interpret food labels. For reservations call 491-4969.